Ford Revs Up Its EV Plans, Starting with 300-Mile Electric SUV by 2020

In a blog post yesterday, Ford’s product development director for electric cars said, “We are being tasked to set the future trajectory of the company.” That’s a big assignment for Darren Palmer and his co-workers at Ford Team Edison, the company’s dedicated EV group located in new digs in an old factory in the heart of Corktown, Detroit’s oldest neighborhood.

“Our team is 100 percent focused on not only delivering vehicles that consumers will love but providing an entire electric vehicle ecosystem that works flawlessly,” wrote Palmer. His post featured a teaser image of Ford’s first ground-up EV—what the company calls a Mustang-inspired fully-electric performance utility vehicle. It promises to be very powerful and offer a range of 300 miles.

The image revealed the Mustang’s classic three-bar taillights, while the rear silhouette showed a wide stance and raked roofline. Ford is no longer expected to call the new EV crossover “Mach 1,” a name that was floated at the 2018 Detroit auto show. There are few other details about the Mustang-inspired electric SUV, besides hints that Ford is aiming for affordability with its new electric vehicles.

The 300-mile electric SUV will likely be the signature vehicles of Ford’s EV plans, but—as Palmer suggests—the goal of Ford’s new team is nothing short of transforming the entire company. Palmer wrote: “My team and I are both proud of and energized by the company’s $11 billion investment to bring 16 fully electric vehicles within a global portfolio of 40 electrified vehicles through 2022.”

Team Edison will reportedly focus on those 16 pure-electric vehicles for global markets, as well as the so-called EV ecosystem. Meanwhile, the company’s broader electrification plans also include introducing new plug-in hybrids, starting as early as next year with plug-in versions of the Ford Escape crossover SUV and Lincoln MKC. Ford also plans to produce no-plug hybrid versions of high-volume iconic vehicles, such as the Mustang and F-150 pickup truck.

Palmer’s blog post (and the release of the teaser image) indicate that Ford is making good on Team Edison’s plans to “think big and move fast.” For current and future EV drivers, it signals the imminent introduction of an entire suite of new, capable and innovative electric vehicles from a familiar brand that’s being remade in the electric age.

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